*Use code SPLASH to take 15% off orders of $150 or more. Code SPLASH cannot be combined with other offers, cannot be applied to previous purchases, and excludes all sale items and bridesmaid dress rentals. No discount codes (including SPLASH and CANNONBALL) can be applied on Joanna August or Jim Hjelm styles. Code SPLASH cannot be applied to full-price Donna Morgan dresses. Please use DMSPLASH to get 10% off full-price Donna Morgan dresses of $150 or more. Use Code CANNONBALL to take an extra 10% off already reduced-prices (for savings of 25% off retail price). Free shipping only valid in the United States. Free returns are not valid on Final Sale items.

Its spring time and love is in the air! There is nothing like an adorable proposal story to kick off a new season and a new month. Congratulations to our April winner, Maria, who’s fiance suprised her by proposing at the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade. Not only is her story gorgeous, but so are the photos Congrats Maria! We’re so excited to gift you a Watters Encore dress!

Aren’t proposal stories the best? There’s something about reading them that just brightens up our day When we stumbled upon Sarah’s story we just knew she was our winner. The gorgeous day, the special location, the ties back to Sarah’s childhood, all had us misty eyed! We are so excited to announce Sarah as our Proposal Story Winner for March and gift her a free Watters Encore Dress (up to $400 in value).

This may seem like a silly question, but I just got engaged and am wondering in this day and age, who pays for the wedding? Is my father supposed to foot the entire bill? Or should my fiancé and I host the celebration? Also, what costs are my fiancé’s parents supposed to cover? Any insight you can provide on this would be appreciated!

Thank you,

Elizabeth, San Diego

Hello Elizabeth,

Your question isn’t silly, it’s important and a topic that may have newly engaged women scratching their heads as they think, it’s 2015, so who pays for the wedding? It really depends on you, your parents, your fiancé, and your fiancé’s parents. Traditionally the bride’s family assumes most of the wedding costs with the bride’s father being the official host of the reception. This includes the costs of stationery, bridal gown, flowers, photos, video, music, transportation, and all reception expenses. In this age-old arrangement, the groom and his family pay for the following items: the bride’s rings, groom’s gift, groomsmen’s attire, officiant’s fee or donation, marriage license, honeymoon, and the entire rehearsal dinner.

Nontraditionally, the wedding costs are paid for by the couple themselves or some combination of the bride’s and groom’s parents. As many modern couples are somewhat older, they often cover the financial burden themselves. If the bride’s and groom’s parents are both chipping in to throw the event, everyone should get together and have a candid conversation about the allocation of the expenses.

Throwing a wedding is expensive, but being a bridesmaid is no walk in the park either. Did you know that, on average, your besties will drop close to $1700 just to be in your wedding? Pretty crazy, right? Between bachelorette party expenses, bridesmaid dresses and shower gifts, things can really start to add up if you aren’t careful. Because you definitely don’t want to be that girl that makes her girls go into debt over your big day, we asked wedding planner Amy Kaneko of Posh+Folk to share her tips on how to avoid bankrupting your bridesmaids.

1. Eligibility: To be eligible for this contest (“Contest”), you must be 18 years of age or older, a legal resident of the United States for the duration of the contest. Weddington Way, Inc. (“Weddington Way”) employees and members of their immediate families are not eligible for this Contest. No purchase or payment is necessary to participate in the Contest. Weddington Way may reject any submitted entries that it determines, in its sole and absolute discretion, fail to meet any of these eligibility requirements. To be eligible you must agree to abide by these terms and conditions and be bound by all Weddington Way decisions relating to this Contest, which are final and binding in all respects, including, but not limited to, Weddington Way’s determination of the winner.

2. Entry: To enter this Contest, submit your email address at https://www.weddingtonway.com/giveaway/love_make_contest no later than March 29th, 2015 at 11:59PM. To be eligible to win you must also have three (3) dresses saved to your showroom at weddingtonway.com/showroom. Submissions must be your own email address. All information submitted through the submission process must be complete, accurate, and truthful. You may only enter this Contest one time.

Say bye-bye to boring wedding nails! Nowadays, more and more brides-to-be are bucking beauty tradition and opting for fashion on their fingers in the form of nail art. Your wedding is the ultimate style expression, after all, so why not inject a little personality into your manicure? To help you get inspired, we turned to CEO and Founder of Paintbox high-design nail studio in NYC, Eleanor Langston. Below, she breaks down how to break away from the basic French manicure and show your true colors with 3 pin-worthy wedding nail art looks.

Each month Weddington Way has the privilege of reading some of the most romantic and darling proposal stories. Its always SO hard to choose a winner but this month, our winners story was too sweet not to share!

Denise, we absolutely loved reading about your amazing engagement! Your fiance did a wonderful job surprising you and making such an already momentous event, that much more special. What a great way to start your many years together! We’re so excited to gift you a Watters Encore Dress

He liked it so he finally put a ring on it, and now you’re chomping at the bit to show off that bling on social media! Girl, trust us, it’s only natural. Before you start snapping away and clicking that share button though, make sure you’re doing your rock justice. Because filters can only help SO much, we asked a few fab photographers to teach us their secrets for taking the perfect engagement ring selfie. Is your rock ready for a close-up?

1. Get the light right

Natural lighting is everything, particularly when it comes to capturing the sheer gorgeousness of your engagement ring (shine bright like a diamond, y’all!). That’s why destination wedding photographer Nicholas Purcell recommends standing in front of a large, bright window to snap your selfie but preferably not with the sun beaming right in that same window. “Maximum brightness is what you’re aiming for without direct sun,” he notes. Otherwise, the lighting will be too harsh and less than flattering for both you and your bling.

2. Keep the background simple

Ever notice how fashion bloggers and brands always shoot their accessories against a white backdrop? That’s because a white wall or surface simplifies the background and provides for a much more striking image overall, points out Purcell. The ring pops and becomes the focus of the photo, as opposed to those dirty clothes you forgot to pick up off the floor, oops! Not a fan of white? No worries. Place your hand on any simple but elegant surface, such as dark wood, says Vanessa Stofenmacher, co-founder of fine jewelry brand Vrai & Oro.

3. Experiment with angles

The key to capturing the perfect engagement ring selfie is finding an angle where your diamond really sparkles (you’ll want to polish it first, advises Purcell). “The camera should be above and slightly to the side to show the three-dimensions of the ring. Now, just rotate the shooting angle until you get maximum sparkle.”

4. Snap a pic under a chandelier

Speaking of sparkle, according to photographer Jon Kline, diamonds sparkle best when they’re near a lot of different light sources at once. “Take your picture under a chandelier or other multiple lights grouped together,” he suggests.

5. Don’t zoom in

Want your rock to look extra large in that Instagram pic? Then whatever you do, don’t zoom in! “Zooming in tends to flatten your ring out,” warns Kline. “Just move the camera closer to the ring to get a good shot instead.”

6. Remember to relax

Just like you’d relax your smile in a standard selfie, you’ll want to relax your fingers in a ring one, states Stofenmacher. “Then lay them flat but naturally on the surface.” Now, that’s better!

7. Get a manicure for goodness’ sake

Even the best engagement ring selfie can be ruined by a bad manicure so always keep your fingernails looking fresh. For an au natural look, Stofenmacher suggests painting them a neutral shade, such as nude. “Red gives off a more classic vibe, whereas black is edgier.”